HSA | Two companies have been fined following a fatal workplace incident.
Glenveagh Contracting Limited has been fined €125,000 and KDK Scaffolding Limited Company €65,000 following the incident, which happened on 9 December 2019 at a construction site at Marina Village, Greystones, Co Wicklow.
Mr Gerry O’Connell was working on a block of apartments (Block E) and was building blockwork piers on level 5 scaffolding, adjacent to a staircore/curtainwall opening. He fell through an unprotected gap between a two-board bracket and the structure, sustaining very serious injuries which he later died from. Glenveagh Contracting Limited and KDK Scaffolding Limited had previously pleaded guilty to one charge in breach of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.
Glenveagh Contracting Limited pleaded guilty to Section 12 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, contrary to Section 77(9)(a) in that it failed in its legal duty as an employer to properly manage safety on site. Glenveagh allowed individuals who were not their employees to carry out work from scaffolding which lacked edge protection and exposed workers to a risk of falling.
KDK Scaffolding Limited pleaded guilty to Section 15(3) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, contrary to Section 77(9)(a), in that it failed to ensure that the scaffolding erected at Block E was safe and without risk to health. The scaffolding did not provide adequate edge protection and exposed individuals carrying out work from the scaffolding to the risk of falling.
Assistant Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Authority, Eibhlin O’Leary, said: “This tragic incident resulted in the loss of a life and highlights the devastating consequences when basic safety measures are not in place.
“Employers and those in control of work activities have a legal responsibility to ensure that work can be carried out safely and that workers are protected from the risk of falling from height. The failures identified in this case exposed individuals to a foreseeable and avoidable danger.”
